Joaquin Phoenix Thinks 'Joker' Is Like a Psychological Test -- Here's Why
Joaquin Phoenix proved that a film does not need a distinctive budget before it can create connections with its viewers.
The recipient of Golden Globes' Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama, Joaquin, set records after he portrayed the role of Arthur in the "Joker" film.
With its small production budget of $62.5 million, the film bagged $93.5 million sales during its opening weekend, beating "Deadpool" and claiming the crown for the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time.
When fans felt like they already had the closure in the film, the actor revealed another deep secret again.
"Joker" a Psychological Test?
Joaquin appeared on "60 Minutes" where he also talked about the film - most especially its critical depiction of mental illness and issues occurring in the society.
The 45-year old actor started to describe the film by comparing it to the Rorschach Test -- a psychological test where the takers explain their insights of certain inkblots and have those analyzed using either psychological interpretation or complex algorithms.
"It says something about the person viewing it and what they think that it's about. That's really rare for a film to kind of have that effect on people. So in some ways, I welcomed it," Joaquin disclosed.
Moreover, the "Joker" actor clarified to Associated Press before his "60 Minutes" appearance that people tend to interpret the movie only the way they want most especially when the viewers "do not know what is right and wrong."
In the end, he just wished for people not to see "Joker" differently and let be a "normal" film that successfully connected with people instead.
In addition, even the film's director Todd Phillips saw the movie as not a piece of some welcoming piece, and they intended to make it that way.
The filmmaker also previously pointed out through The Wrap that they did not make the movie only "to push buttons" in the end.
"It wasn't, 'We want to glorify this behavior.' It was literally like 'Let's make a real movie with a real budget and we'll call it f******* Joker'. That's what it was," he went on.
What Made It Controversial
With the recent news events in the U.S. about gun abused, criticisms rose and even led people to think that Arthur, Joaquin's character, was too similar to real-life people.
According to Time's film critic Stephanie Zacharek, "In America, there's a mass shooting or attempted act of violence by a guy like Arthur practically every other week. And yet we're supposed to feel some sympathy for Arthur, the troubled lamb; he just hasn't had enough love."
However, some other critics were not left impressed with the "cut-and-dried" movie of Joaquin that they even compared his character to incels - a term used to call people who take out their anger on women.
Arthur's mom in the movie, who empowered Arthur to do violent things, added more speculation that the movie is a test to unveil what is really happening in the world. is pretty much blamed for all his suffering.
Amid all these theories and criticisms, Warner Bros. issued a statement to explain that neither Joker nor the film "is an endorsement of real-world violence of any kind."
READ MORE: REPORT: Joaquin Phoenix Arrested Few Days After Golden Globes Win
